‘We had an immensely intensive training upfront’
The goal scoring inefficiency of the national team has been a prominent recurring theme and remains the bone in their throat, ahead of the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers, set to begin tomorrow in Qatar.
Despite possessing the experienced forwards earlier-- the likes of Nabib Newaj Jibon, Rabiul Hasan, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, Saad Uddin and Mohammad Ibrahim-- Jamie Day was denied of having the last laugh in the previous matches, where they suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat and surrendered a lead to play out in a 1-1 draw, against Afghanistan and India respectively.
Besides, the cumulative statistics of goal scoring conversion rate upfront paints a gloomy picture for the boys in red and green.
This time, none of aforementioned forwards, except the newly Covid-19 recovered Ibrahim, is at Jamie's disposal, making the task upfront more daunting than ever before. Thus, the 43-year-old coach is left with no option but to pin hopes on the inexperienced Suman Reza, Mehedi Hasan Royal and Mohammad Jewel, where the trio have not yet featured in World Cup Qualifying matches.
Suman is likely to play as the lone striker in front of Jamie's five-man backline against Afghanistan and India and he seems geared up to make the decisive impact.
"Our forward lineup is no match to our backline, which comprises of experienced defenders like Tapu bhai, Rahmat and an in-form Tariq Raihan," Suman told The Daily Star last Tuesday before leaving home for Qatar.
"But we know that everyone in the team is relying on us, so we are motivated and ready to seize the opportunities in the matches," said the determined 25-year-old.
Jamie so far, utilized most of the training time with the sole objective of making the attackers sharper and smooth on the offensive transition.
"It is evident that we are usually more defensive in international matches and create lesser chances that forwards hope for. The training has emphasised on the counter attack and made sure four to five players join after ensuring the stability of backline," opined Suman.
Suman had struck an impressive six goals in the league marches, his tally matched by winger Rakib Hossain and midfielder Mohammad Abdullah.
"We may not have much experience in international stages but we are banking on transforming our league form into success," said Suman adding that his confidence level and finishing ability have tremendously increased after playing a few international matches for the national team.
As backup firepower, Mehedi Hasan Royal, who made his debut at Tri-Nation Cup in Nepal in April, is considered to be Suman's alternative, as he happened to strike one of two goals in a 2-2 practice match against Sheikh Jamal DC.
"After playing matches in Nepal, my confidence is on an another level and I can assure you that I will give my all, if given the chance to represent Bangladesh," the Muktijoddha Sangsad striker Royal told The Daily Star while reinforcing the fact that in training, Jamie worked extra on all forwards.
"We had an immensely intensive training upfront. Jamie worked separately with seven forwards, who mustered numerous shots on target from different positions and was impressed with the conversion rate of those shots. If we can carry out gaffer's plans well on the ground, we can hope something good."
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